Closure-preventive device for vault-doors.



E. C. KLlNE.

CLOSURE PREVENTIVE DEVICE. FOR VAULT DOORS. APPLICATION FILED mm, 1916.

1,187,152. Patnted June-'13, 1916.

I I, l %1 his flltoincq TED STATES EVERETT C. KLINE, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE VICTOR SAFE &: LOCK COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CLOSURE-PREVENTIVE DEVICE FOR VAULT-DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented J 13, 1916.

Application filed April 3, 1916. Serial No. 88,47,5'.

vices for Vault-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices whereb the unauthorized closing and locking of vault doors may be prevented.

In daylight bank robberies, it is a fairly common occurrence 'for the burglars to lock the cashier or other oflicial in the vault. My

invention is devised to furnish a simple and inexpensive means whereby the locking of the vault door by the burglar is rendered impossible, or exceedingly difficult of attainment by the burglar in the time at his disposal. Accordingly I provide a locking device operable by a key or suitable implement which is retained by the cashier, whereby a revoluble shaft or other moving part carried by the door may be locked, after the vault has been opened in the morning, the result being that the door cannot be fully closed or locked. I prefer to apply my improved locking device to the pressure system, which is commonly used on vault doors, to lock one of the revoluble shafts of the pressure system in such a position as to prevent the seating of the door into a position in which the bolts may be shot.

In order'that a clearer understanding of my invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and illustrating certain embodiments of my invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a partial front elevation of a vault door having my improved device applied to one of the pressure bars or shafts; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are sections taken on lines 3--3 and 44, respectively, of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a partial end elevation of the casting shown in Fig. 2, with the outer cap removed; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the cap, the cover plate being partly broken away; and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a key which may be used in operating the device.

Referring to the drawings, the door 1 is adapted to seat against the door frame 2, having a jamb member 3. The door is represented as being carried by the usual pivoted crane 4:. he. door is understood to carry bolt-work, operated by handle 5 on shaft 6, and a combination lock, operated by the dial 7, as well as the pressure system, all of which parts may be of usual or wellknown construction. lhe pressure system is 1llustrated as comprising a hand-wheel 8 mounted on worm shaft 9, which rotates ver'- tical shaft 10, which is geared to the horizontal pressure shafts, one of which is illustrated at 11. Shafts 10 and 11 are illustrated as connected by bevel gears 12, 12. Shaft 11 is journaled in brackets 13, 13 on the face of the door and is provided at its outer end with the eccentric pin or cam 14. Pin 14 is adapted to enter the opening 15 in the lug 16 mounted on the jamb, when shaft 11 1s in proper angular position to aline pin 14% with opening 15. Lug 16 is provided with an undercut recess, with which the cocentric pin 14 ooacts, when located therein, the rotation of hand-wheel 8 in such case serving to press the door tightly against its seat.- When pin 14 is not alined with opening 15, it abuts against the outer face of lug 16, when the door is pressed toward closed position, so that in this case the door cannot be closed sufliciently to enable the bolts to be shot into locked position. In the form of my invention illustrated, I provide means for locking shaft 11 in the position illustrated, in which it is impossible to aline pin 14: with opening 15.

a curved recess 22 extending across the periphery of the same within its bearing in casting 17. Looking pin 21 has a curved depression 23 milled or otherwise formed longitudinally of the same, this de ression being curved to the same radius as s aft 11.. Pin 21 is so positioned that the solid portion of its periphery may extend through the recess 22 in shaft 11, as is shown in Fig. 2, to lock shaft 11 against rotation. When, however, pin 21 is rotated through 180 the curved depression 23 of pin 21 will lie in alinement with the circular wall of the opening in the casting 17 through which shaft 11 extends, thus permitting the rotation of shaft 11.

Looking pin 21 is provided'with an end portion 24 of reduced diameter, having a slot 25 in itsend, into which a screw-driver or the like may be inserted to rotate pin 21 into its looking or unlocking position. A sleeve 26 is mounted in the outer end of the opening through Which pin 21 extends, and positioned against the shoulder 27 of pin 21, to prevent removal of the latter. Sleeve 26 may efi'ectively be mounted in position by forming the same with a screw-threaded periphery and forming the opening in which the screw is mounted with a corresponding internal screw-thread 28. One portion 29 of the sleeve is formed longer than the other portion 26 and thus forms an abutment for the small screw or pin 30 extending from the periphery of the end portion 24 of the locking pin. When screw 30 is in the position shown in Fig. 5, abutting against" the lower end of the portion 29 of sleeve 26, pin 21 is in its locking position, and when pin 21 is rotated in a clockwise direction through 180 into its unlocking position, screw 30 Will abut against the upper left hand end of portion 29, referring to Fig. 5. The lower portion 26 of sleeve 26 is sufiiciently reduced in length to ,permit the movement of screw 30 past the end of the same, as is shown in Fig. 2. A slot 31 may be cut in the end of the sleeve, between the portions 26 and 29 thereof, to form a seat for a screw-driver, to permit the sleeve being screwed into position.

A cap member 32, preferably cylindrical in form, is adapted to fit closely within a suitable recess in the end of casting 17 in line with locking pin 21, to prevent access to the latter when the cap is in position. This cap member is adapted to be removed by a key, such as is shown at 33 in Fig. 7, and comprises a bearing portion 34 and a cover plate 35 secured thereto by screws 36. A pin 37 having a block 38 formed integral therewith is slidably mounted in a rectangular recess 39 on the inner face of member 34 of the cap. A spiral spring 40 surrounds the pin beyond one end of the block, the spring bearing against the inner end of the block at one end and against an end of the recess at the other end. "The spring thus forces the pin and block to the right, re ferring to Figs. 3 and 6, with the right hand end of the pin extended through an opening in the member 34. When the cap is mounted in position, as is shown in Fig. 3, the end of pin 37 extends into a suitable opening in casting 17, thus locking the cap in position. The block 38 is cut away on the side thereof adjacent cover plate 35, as is shown at 41, this cut-out portion 41 being in line with but somewhat longer than the key-hole 42 the key is inserted through key-hole 42 at an inclination, so that the toe 43 of the key abuts against the shoulder 45 of recess 4l, whereupon the key may be straightened out, the engagement of the rounded heel 46 of the key with the opposite end 47 of slot 42 camming block 38 to the left, so that pin 37 is withdrawn'from locking engagement with casting 17 against the pressure of spring 40. The cap may now be withdrawn by a direct pull on the key, whereupon the key may be released from the cap by tilting the key to the left. The end 44 of the key may then be applied to the slot 25 in the end portion of the locking pin 21 and the latter rotated through half a revolution to lock or unlock shaft 11' as desired.

In the operation of the device, pin 21 is placed in its unlocking position, with its circular notch 23 in registration with the cylindrical opening in member 17, through which shaft 11 extends, when it is desired to lock the door. Shaft 11 may then be rotated into position permitting the eccentric pin 14 of the shaft to enter opening 15 in ug 16, so that the door may be bolted, locked, and the pressure system applied for the night. In the morning, after the vault has been opened, the cashier may remove cap 32 with his key, and then apply the end of the key to slot 25 to rotate pin 21 into the position shown in Fig. 2 in which the pin extends through notch 22 in shaft 11, shaft 11 being first rotated into proper position to aline notch 22 with the locking pin.

A screw 48 may be provided on shaft 11, to be alined with a suitable mark (not shown in the drawing) on the side of casting 17,

to show when shaft 11 is in proper angular position to be locked by pin 21. The cap 32 is then replaced, shaft 11 now being in such angular position as to prevent the complete closing of the door. Incase of robbery, rotation of shaft 11 without the use of a key similar to key 33 will prove a matter of considerable difficulty. 1

It should be understood that my invention is not limited to the exact details of construction described, but that all fair equivalents of the same are included, and accordingly that my invention is as broad as is indicated by the accompanying claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In vault construction, the combination of a frame member having a door seat and :1 lug on the face of the j amb thereof, having an undercut recess therein, a door adapted to be closed against said seat, means for pressing the door against its seat, including a revoluble shaft carried on the face of the door having an eccentric end portion adapt: ed, when the door is closed, to enter said recess in one angular position of the shaft and to abut against the outer side of the lug in another angular position of the shaft, when it is attempted to close the door, a bearing member through which said shaft extends, and means for locking said shaft in said last-named angular position,comprising a' locking pin extending into said bearing member to coact with said shaft therein, and locking means for preventing or permitting operation of said pin, substantially as set forth.

2. In vault construction, the combination of a door, a movable member carried there- .by, having one position in which the door may be closed and locked and another position in which the door cannot be fully closed, said member having a notch therein, a movable locking pin adapted to extend into said notch to lock said member, said pin having a notch adapted to be alined with said member to permit movement of the latter, and key-operated cover means for preventing access to said locking pin, substantially as set forth. 1

3. In a vault door, thecombination of a movable member having one position in which the door may be closed and locked and a second position in which the door cannot be fully closed, a bearing member in which said movable member is carried, a movable locking pin mounted and entirely inclosed within said bearing member adjacent to said movable member, said pin being adapted to lock said movable member when the latter is in its second position, and locking means for preventing or permitting operation of said locking pin, substantially as set forth.

4. In a vault door, the combination of a revoluble shaft, having a notch therein, a bearing member through which said shaft extends, a revoluble locking pin journaled within said bearing member, adapted in one position to extend through said notch and in another position to clear said shaft, said pin being entirely inclosed within said bearing member, and a key-operated closure in a surface of said bearing member in line with and covering the outer end of said pin, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed" and witnessed this 28th day of March, 1916.

EVERETT C. KLINE. Witnesses:

' CLYDE P. JoHNsoN,

J. WM. JOHNSON. 

